Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to brackets, and, more specifically but not exclusively, to brackets for mounting a device to a plurality of different support structures.
Description of the Related Art
Increasing demand for mobile telecommunications services has prompted wireless operators to expand capacity by adding radio equipment to new and existing base station sites. Such additional equipment may use the same frequency bands and air interface standards that are already in operation at a base station site, or it may introduce other standards and frequency bands to operate alongside existing equipment at the base station site. In either case, it is often advantageous to let the new equipment share existing radio frequency (RF) infrastructure, such as antennas, amplifiers, and feeder cables. Such sharing is made possible by ancillary equipment, including but not limited to multi-band combiners, same-band combiners, amplifiers, interference mitigation filters, duplex filters, and the like.
The specific type and amount of such ancillary equipment that is installed at each site varies because the radio configuration may differ from site to site with respect to the operating frequency, the type of radio equipment, the number of antennas, and other factors. Further, the manner in which the ancillary equipment may be installed at each site is influenced by characteristics of site construction, such as the amount of space available, the relative positions of the radio equipment, the means of routing and supporting RF cables, and other factors. Thus, it is often not possible or practical to ascertain where and how ancillary equipment should be installed without first visiting the site.
Typically, ancillary equipment is fitted with fixed brackets that accommodate the mounting of a single unit of ancillary equipment to a (e.g., cylindrical or rectangular) pole within a range of diameters using band clamps or a flat surface (i.e., face) such as a wall or beam using threaded fasteners (e.g., nuts and bolts). When a method other than pole- or face-mounting is desired, it has been necessary to obtain additional mounting hardware or create ad-hoc constructions and/or modifications on site, causing additional labor and multiple site visits, and compromising the integrity of the equipment.
Furthermore, conventional brackets used to mount ancillary equipment typically intrude on the space immediately surrounding the coaxial connectors of the ancillary equipment. In outdoor installations, these connectors are weather-protected by wrapping several layers of adhesive tape and other materials around the connectors. As each turn of the tape requires passing the roll around the connector, the intruding bracket creates an obstruction that increases time to complete and jeopardizes the quality of the weather-proofing.
Therefore, there is a need to provide mounting hardware for ancillary equipment that enables a technician to accomplish installation with a single visit to the site and without knowing beforehand what installation method will be used. Further, there is a need for mounting hardware that does not interfere with customary weather-proofing installations.